NEW YORK AND MEXICO CITY (January 31, 2024) – Major League Soccer (MLS) and LIGA MX announced the format and groups for Leagues Cup 2024, the second edition of the international soccer competition featuring all 47 clubs from Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The New England Revolution will play Mexican side Mazatlán F.C. and MLS club Nashville SC in group stage play to begin the month-long tournament, which will unfold from July 26 to August 25, 2024.
Leagues Cup 2024 will crown a winner among MLS and LIGA MX clubs, setting the stage for historic and emerging North American club rivalries. Leagues Cup 2024, to be played in the United States and Canada, will decide three qualifiers for the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, providing an opportunity to earn a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Leagues Cup is one of two international club competitions for the Revolution in 2024, along with the Concacaf Champions Cup beginning with the two-leg Round One on Wednesday, Feb. 21 against the reigning champions of Panama’s domestic league, CA Independiente. The Revolution, winners of the North American SuperLiga in 2008, reached the Round of 16 in the inaugural Leagues Cup tournament in 2023, which featured a victory over LIGA MX side Atlético de San Luis in the group stage and a thrilling shootout triumph over Querétaro F.C. in the Round of 32. The Revolution exited last year’s competition in the Round of 16 after a 1-0 defeat to Atlas F.C.
Mazatlán F.C. reached the Round of 32 in last year’s Leagues Cup after finishing first in its group. Based in the Mazatlán city of Sinaloa, Mexico, the club was founded in June 2020, ahead of the 2020-2021 LIGA MX season. The Cañoneros finished 10th in the Apertura 2023 season with a 6-4-7 record (22 pts.) after finishing at the bottom of the league table in the Clausura 2023.
Nashville SC advanced to the inaugural Leagues Cup Final in 2023, where they fell to Inter Miami CF in a shootout at Geodis Park. The 2020 MLS expansion side finished seventh in the 2023 MLS Eastern Conference standings before exiting the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs in Round One to Orlando City SC. Along with New England, Nashville SC is one of 10 MLS clubs competing in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Leagues Cup 2024 Format
Moving forward, the tournament will introduce a tiered Leagues Cup Ranking system, as well as hubs for the highest-ranked LIGA MX clubs. The Leagues Cup ranking will be strictly based on combined MLS and LIGA MX club performance based on points in the last 34 regular season matches. MLS teams will be ranked based on the 2023 MLS Supporters’ Shield standings, while LIGA MX clubs will be ranked based on the cumulative 34 matches in the 2023 Clausura and Apertura tournaments.
All participating clubs – except the reigning MLS and LIGA MX champions - are divided into three tiers based on the Leagues Cup Ranking (1-15, 16-30, 31-45), forming 15 groups of three clubs each, one club from each tier, prioritizing geographical and competitive balance among the 45 clubs. For 2024, Leagues Cup will be played in two regions, East and West, with seven groups in the East and eight groups in the West, regionalizing travel for all participating clubs. Like the 2023 format, both LIGA MX (Club America) and MLS Cup (Columbus Crew) champions receive an automatic bye to the Round of 32. The two reigning champions are not included in the Leagues Cup Ranking.
Knockout Rounds: Following the Group Stage, the advancing 30 teams will be joined by Club America and Columbus Crew and placed in a fixed bracket to compete in the single-game elimination Knockout Rounds beginning with the Round of 32 (16 matches), followed by Round of 16 (eight matches). The eight advancing teams will compete in the Quarterfinals (four matches) before the two Semifinal matches. Leagues Cup 2024 Third Place and Final will determine the three Concacaf Champions Cup qualified clubs.
No Ties: Leagues Cup will maintain its current No Ties format. Each team receives one point if the game is tied after 90 minutes. The winner of the subsequent penalty shootout will earn an additional point. Regulation wins count as three points, with games being decided by penalty kick in case of regular time draw.
Leagues Cup 2024 Broadcast Information
Fans in over 100 countries and regions will be able to watch all 77 Leagues Cup matches on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app, the subscription service from Apple and MLS that is available on smart TVs, streaming devices, Apple devices, set-top boxes, game consoles, and the web at tv.apple.com. In addition, TelevisaUnivision, TV Azteca, FOX Sports (FS1), TSN and RDS will be the linear broadcast home for selected group stage matches in Mexico, Canada, and the United States.
Revolution Ticket Information
The New England Revolution’s first home match in Leagues Cup 2024 is included in 2024 Revolution Season Memberships. Single-game tickets for the Revolution’s Leagues Cup 2024 home game(s) will go on sale after the complete tournament schedule is announced. Individual tickets for MLS home games will go on sale to the public on Tuesday, Feb. 13, while single-game tickets for the first Concacaf Champions Cup match vs. CA Independiente on Thursday, Feb. 29 went on sale today, Jan. 31. To learn more about Revolution tickets or to purchase a Season Membership and multi-game package today, call 1-877-GET-REVS, email tix@revolutionsoccer.net, or visit Revolutionsoccer.net/tickets.
The complete Leagues Cup 2024 bracket and schedule will be announced in the coming months. Please visit LeaguesCup.com for more information.
